Land Rover and Virgin Galactic New Vehicles – Testing
on Land and in Space

Land Rover and Virgin Galactic
test and development programmes

AUTO CENTRAL, UK -- August 6, 2014: Partners Land Rover and Virgin Galactic make progress in the world of
testing and development of new vehicles – on land and in space New
Discovery Sport entering final development phase, with prototype fleets
testing globally: video available showing extreme hot and cold testing Land
Rover is the first global partner of pioneering commercial spaceline Virgin
Galactic Land Rover releases two videos contrasting Virgin Galactic testing
and development with Land Rover product engineering tests Whitley, UK, 6th
August 2014: Global partners in adventure, innovation and exploration, Land
Rover and Virgin Galactic have opened the doors on the world of prototype
testing and development. For the first time both brands compare the
parallels and complexities behind the test and development of a new
vehicle. Both Land Rover and Virgin Galactic have used their partnership to
share values and experiences that have steered each brand to develop
cutting edge technologies for both land and space.

The pioneering partnership, announced in April this year, has continued
to make strides through Land Rover’s continued development of the new
Discovery Sport vehicle while Virgin Galactic moves closer to the launch of
the world’s first spaceline.

As the new Discovery Sport enters its final testing phase, Land Rover
and Virgin Galactic, which continues its flight test and engineering
programmes ahead of the launch of its commercial spaceflight programme, are
giving a glimpse of what goes into their test and development
programmes.

Murray Dietsch, Programme Director, Land Rover, said: “There is a
common philosophy towards engineering between Land Rover and our partners
Virgin Galactic. We start with an idea and build from there, spending years
refining a design and completing virtual testing before the first
prototypes see the tarmac. As our partnership with Virgin Galactic
develops, it will be fascinating to get closer to their team and explore
common areas of engineering and expertise.

“Discovery Sport prototypes have covered approximately 750,000
miles during the testing phase, in some of the world’s harshest and
most challenging terrains and climates. A total of 181 prototype vehicles
were built, completing over 11,000 tests over their lifetimes around the
globe, ensuring total confidence in the robustness of build and design of
the vehicles.”

“As we look to launching the world’s first spaceline, Virgin
Galactic continues to push boundaries and develop pioneering new
innovations that bring to life our vision,” said George Whitesides,
CEO of Virgin Galactic. “In engineering and design, like Land Rover,
our focus is on precision, ingenuity, and unparalleled design.”